… he’s not third, either.? Sure, he’s got the hardware from last season and may win some of it again this season BUT he’s not the all around hockey player of either Crosby, Malkin… actually I’d put him behind others too… such as Paval Datsyk, Jerome Iginla to name just two.
The Great8, AO, OV whatever you want to call him is a tremendously talented individual and watching him skate up ice trying to beat the buzzer on Sunday… that tremendous ? individual ? talent? really stands out.
The key word being individual. His speed and shooting the puck is carrying him at present but if you notice he plays all over the place so much so he’s more a ROVER than a left wing. Crosby, Malkin, Datsyk, and Iginla are much more cerebral two-way hockey players and therefore much more valuable to their teams. Whereas, Ovechkin’s game is centered on skating fast and concentrating on shooting the puck as many times as you can.? The number off shots “on-goal” is amazing but also as amazing is the number of his shots that miss the goal and many times shot at such an angle and force that the puck needs to be fetched from their own end and?stymies a ton of?offense pressure.
He has to be doing what his coaches are asking.. right?? Or,?is he is above that?? Ovechkin is the NHL’s most dramatic performer and wildly entertaining but other than skating as fast as he can and shooting the puck whenever as many times as he can… there is not much thinking to his game.
Allowing him to do that didn’t come as easy as it appears because the Capitals GM- George McPhee, Coach-Glen Hanlon, along with the (player) leader of the team-?Olaf Kolzig leaked a story that later became the subject of a?feature story in the Washington Post (paraphasing here) claiming Ovechkin cheated up ice, and didn’t play with enough grit, and needed to be more of a team player.
Well, anyone who watches the game has to see that he’s back to cheating up ice.? Not to the extent of the way Pavel Bure did it?but he has begun to leave earlier and earlier.? It’s getting more noticeable every game.
If you watch Ovechkin and watch him closely you’ll see that he’s not as hockey bright as many give him credit. He as fast skater who shoots constantly and (I’d take him on my team) but it could be the reason why the “C” isn’t on his sweater. He really doesn’t appear to be as bright (or as mature) as the other forwards mentioned above.? I could be wrong about this but that what I see.
This is DR Hook… carry on
k.i.s.s.i.n.g. first came love …
Don’t eat the yellow snow and don’t lick the snot running out of your nose, kid. Your daddy will explain the whole Ovechkin, Crosby, Hossa, Malkin, thing to you.
Wow, I guess I’ve hit a sensitive area, you sound like a capital fan coming out of the closet. Malore and ovechkin sitting in a tree ….
@ Penguin871
Put on a dress and marry him? Cute stuff, Kid. Now, wipe your nose and repeat after me – Ovechkin is a super player. I much prefer Crosby and Malkin and maybe Hossa who ctually backcheck I disagree. Hossa is a great player is a great player and the possibly the best backchecker in the league. If not first, he’s close. But Hodssa can’t literally take over a game the way Ovechkin has and he does it time and again. Ovechkin also combines hitting to his game. I also agree with Hook that he’s a puck hog and is over-hyped by the Capitals fan base. If you think Ovechkin isn’t in the same category as the rest of them. Ask your Mommie to have your dad explain it to you. That is, if she actually knows her baby’s daddy.
BTW who the hell has said ovechkin is better that Crosby or Malkin? I don’t think their is one person with an ounce of hockey knowledge that has ever said that. He is perfect for a town full of fair weather fans that dont know better. He is perfect in Wushington. You watch, the guy is a huge cancer for his team, they have already posted articles in their paper about their fans being tired of his fake celebrations. Malore you may want to put a dress on and marry him.
Alex Ovechkin is an entertainer AND a hockey player of the highest degree. If he was in Pittsburgh the tune would be whistled differently. Does he hog the puck too much, sure. But he has the talent to back all the showboating up. The rest of the hockey world only wish they had a talent like this on their team.
He has the highest contract ever given. Maybe he feels the need to hype the Washington fans. But their fans over-hype him as he does have his flaws.
What’s interesting to me is Washington’s mangagement that gace the “A” to Nicklas backstrom quicker than what Ovechkin got his. Ovechkin is the face of the Washington Capitals and they’ve floated that “C” on players that don’t dress for games. Chris Clark has worn the “C” for two-years and has only dressed for 50 games over the past 2-years! Something just isn’t right about that IMO. I’m not going to run to the stat book but I bet rookie defendeman (now in WB/S) put up more points this season than Clark. Go figure what they are thinking, eh.
Ovechkin is a “One Trick Brett Hull Pony”
I agree his teammates hate him – Watch interviews when they are playing poorly and you always see the frustration the rest of the team has with him not letting them help.
Ovechkin has to be hated by his team. If you’ve ever played hockey, you always hate the guy who won’t pass, puck hogs, show boats and shoots all the time. Basically he’s saying that he is good and the rest of the team stinks.
I think Leonsis didn’t trade anyone because he doesn’t want it getting out how much the rest of the team hates him. If anyone says anything about ovechkin now, leonsis can bench them.